If there’s one thing Michael Bennet knows, it is how to get things done.
The Democratic senator was in Durango on Friday to celebrate the opening of Mercury Payment Systems’ new headquarters, Mercury Village in South Durango. He dropped by The Durango Herald to share about his time in Congress.
His mission as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is to keep the Democratic majority in the Senate – no small feat.
Democrats are defending 20 seats, including that of Mark Udall, D-Colo. Republicans are defending 13 seats.
“I think we are (going to hold the Senate),” Bennet said. “Conventional wisdom is that we’re not. The reason I think we are is that in virtually every race, we’re doing better than we were doing two months ago.”
He was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2009 to replace Ken Salazar, who was appointed secretary of the Interior by President Barack Obama. Bennet was elected to his first term in 2010.
He walked in to the Herald with a list of accomplishments he said has produced “real results” for Colorado as a member of Congress, including passing a Farm Bill, establishing a tracking system for prescription drugs and establishing a ‘breakthrough therapy designation’ at the Food and Drug Administration that speeds up the drug process for serious or life-threatening conditions.
He still has a list of stuff he wants to accomplish, including immigration reform and an infrastructure bill.
“Getting the immigration bill through the House of Representatives is, I think, vitally important for our state and the country,” he said.
Bennet also has kept on eye on issues close to home, such as protecting the Hermosa Creek Watershed and bringing Denver TV to La Plata and Montezuma county residents.
He met Friday with local education leaders to discuss bridging the gap between providing quality education and dealing with deep budget cuts.
“We’ve got to do something to ensure that we’re no longer living in a country where if you’re poor, your chances of getting a college degree is 9 in 100,” he said.
smueller@durangoherald.com
